Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 8, 2026

A New Technique for Treating Low-risk Prostate Cancer—Super Active Surveillance
Published on: November 7, 2025
Therapy strategies to defeat prostate cancer heterogeneity
Hossein Jadvar1, Amir Iravani2
1Division of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging Center, Departments of Radiology, Radiation Oncology and Urology, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern CA, Los Anegles, CA, USA; USC Norris Comprehenisve Cancer Center, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern CA, Los Anegles, CA, USA; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Viterbi School of Engineering, University of Southern CA, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Abstract:
Metastatic prostate cancer heterogeneity is a multifactorial spatiotemporally dynamic process that leads to disease progression, emergence of treatment resistance and eventual treatment failure. Understanding of the root causes of tumor heterogeneity is the key to develop strategies for more effective therapies. The intra-patient (inter-tumor), and inter-patient heterogeneity demands combinatorial treatment strategies anchored to patient-specific disease biology that can successfully tackle the complexity of the disease in the hopes of overcoming the biological barriers to cancer control. The aim of this article is to briefly review the elements of metastatic prostate cancer heterogeneity and propose approaches to tackle the ensuing therapeutic challenges to achieve durable clinical efficacy in the context of radiopharmaceutical therapy.
Insights
Metastatic prostate cancer heterogeneity drives disease progression and treatment resistance. Personalized combinatorial strategies are crucial for durable efficacy, particularly with radiopharmaceutical therapy.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Medical Physics
Background:
- Metastatic prostate cancer exhibits significant intra- and inter-patient heterogeneity.
- This heterogeneity complicates treatment, leading to resistance and failure.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the elements of metastatic prostate cancer heterogeneity.
- To propose strategies for overcoming therapeutic challenges using radiopharmaceutical therapy.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of metastatic prostate cancer heterogeneity.
- Analysis of challenges in radiopharmaceutical therapy.
Main Results:
- Heterogeneity is a dynamic, multifactorial process.
- Combinatorial, patient-specific approaches are needed.
Conclusions:
- Understanding tumor biology is key to effective therapies.
- Radiopharmaceutical therapy requires tailored strategies to combat heterogeneity for durable clinical efficacy.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Cancer Therapies
However, cancer treatments can pose several challenges, as therapies used to kill cancer cells are generally also toxic to normal cells. Moreover, cancer cells mutate rapidly and can develop resistance to chemical agents or radiation therapy. Besides, all types of cancer cells may not respond to the same therapy. Some cancer cells respond to one...
Combination Therapies and Personalized Medicine
The combination of the drug acetazolamide and sulforaphane is a good example of combination therapy to treat cancer. The cells in the interior of a large tumor often die due to the hypoxic and...
Targeted Cancer Therapies
There are several types of targeted therapies against...
Treatment Resistant Cancers
Tumor Immunotherapy
Cancer Stem Cells and Tumor Maintenance
Cancer stem cells are thought to originate from tissue-specific normal stem cells or progenitor cells. The normal stem cells usually reside in...

